When Fate Has A Funny
by Trail Mix
Summary: It's summer vacation and for this year your parents decided to leave your siblings and yourself with your grandparents. What was suppose to be a normal and boring stay has been turned into a unbeliveble adventure when your siblings find a dragon egg. Thre
1. Prologue

The wind was fierce against his face, the air in his throat felt like a block of ice almost suffocating him, but he didn't dare tell his dragon to stop

The wind was fierce against his face, the air in his throat felt like a block of ice almost suffocating him, but he didn't dare tell his dragon to stop. If they slowed down they were surely doomed.

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'Faster Rioba, hurry we must not let them follow us.' Nobl yelled in his thoughts.

a href"s167./albums/u124/shenvalcat/?actionview¤tblondguy2.jpg;" target"blank"img src"i167./albums/u124/shenvalcat/blondguy2.jpg" border"0" alt"Blond Guy"/a

'We're almost there, just hang on, Nobl!' Rioba yelled folding his wings to his sides and diving towards the trees. Ten minutes they made a crash landing into a deserted clearing with a strange looking pool on one side. What was strange about it was that it rippled in a spiral current as if it was a miniature version of the Boar's Eye.

'Why are we here when we're being chased by that traitor's men? I mean a hidey-hole with a swirly lake isn't exactly going to save us.' argued Nobl to his dragon.

'Trust me, this war is over; I know that the traitors men will kill off all of my kind and every Rider that opposes him. The only hope we have is that egg and your safety. Without them the traitor wins and everyone being will suffer.' Rioba said wisely, but his voice filled with sorrow.

Nobl looked down in sadness to what his dragon just said.

'Then how will we preserve this hope?' Nobl asked.

The great beast neared the pool with a doubtful rider on his shoulders. When they were at its bank the dragon stopped and turned its great head to his rider.

'Dismount now.' He ordered.

Nobl complied and slid off his saddle landing next to his friend and eyed the pool curiously.

'My friend I have known you for so long, but your intent baffles me. What exactly do you expect of me?' Nobl asked his companion waiting for the answer.

'Nobl please don't ask questions, just jump into this pool and it will lead you to another plane which would hopefully be safer for you and the hatchling than this one.' Rioba told him his snake like neck craning down to meet his rider's eyes.

Tears were rolling down from the man's eyes. He shook his head.

'No, what about you, if you die I will surely go mad.' Nobl begged his dragon to come with him to safety.

'Ever since I chose you I have pledged to protect you with my last breath and unfortunately today's the day I will keep my promise.' Rioba muttered rubbing his nose on Nobl's shoulder.

'Good-bye my friend I will never forget you.' Nobl replied hugging his companion's neck. He stepped away from him getting ready to jump with the egg held firmly in his arms.

'Nor I you.' Rioba muttered even his mental voice cracking with sadness and fear.

With one last mournful look behind him he jumped into the pool. Instead of a splash, sparks and flares of white light ignited from the spot that Nobl cut through the surface.

Rioba was about to turn and prepare for the attack that was soon to come. Suddenly he felt a surge of pain in the depths of his mind. He turned his head and sensed a disturbance.

From out of the pool a ray of light shot into the air. Immediately on its heels sped Nobl, his body as limp as a rag doll. He collided with Rioba's left shoulder blade and hit the ground with a harsh 'thud'. Once the rider landed the portal disappeared.

Rioba panicked and checked on his rider.

'Nobl are you alright are any of your bones broken?' Rioba asked nuzzling Nobl's body softly in worry.

'No, I feel drained as if I tried to resurrect the dead.' Nobl replied quietly.

'Where's the egg?' Rioba asked finally realizing that the egg was missing.

Nobl looked up at his friend with a mysterious smile.

'It's gone.'

Rioba's mouth curved up and he let out a joyful roar.

'It's gone!'

Rioba suddenly went on the defense and was soon attacked by another dragon.

a href"s93./albums/l60/Ginny1792/?actionview¤tBLUE.jpg;" target"blank"img src"i93./albums/l60/Ginny1792/BLUE.jpg" border"0" alt"Blue dragom"/a

He let loose a roar of pain when the dragon bit his neck from underneath and raked it's talons through his armpits. His enemy laughed in pleasure to see him in writhe in pain.

Soon, the man on the dragon slid of his saddle and walked towards Nobl. Rioba started trashing around trying to get the other dragon off him to protect his rider.

The man stood over Nobl with a smirk.

a href"s205./albums/bb215/LunnaRI/Os Gostosos da Tia Luna XD/?actionview¤tBlackhairedguybycelleuh.jpg;" target"blank"img src"i205./albums/bb215/LunnaRI/Os Gostosos da Tia Luna XD/Blackhairedguybycelleuh.jpg" border"0" alt"Nealiah - Adult?"/a

"It is a shame that my prey has given up so early during the game. I thought you would put up a good fight, you scum." The man sneered.

"I would say you're the scum, Kelvian." Nolb spat out at the man above him.

Kelvian's eyes flashed with anger and in a split second his great spear came plunging down into Nobl's chest.

Nobl gasped in pain, but held his tongue from screaming not wanting to give Kelvian the pleasure of his suffering.

Kelvian smiled sinisterly and twisted his weapon expecting a cry of pain, but instead he received laughter in return.

Nobl even in pain held his laughter strong and confident even in death nearing grip. The laughter filled the clearing almost in a haunting manner. Soon blood trickled down of the blond man's lips and behind him Rioba was laughing as well.

Both the twisted man and dragon were taken a back in shock of their reaction to the pain and fear of death.

"What are you laughing about you pitiful fool? We are almost finishing with the purification of the land killing anyone who dares oppose Galbotorix!" Kelvian screeched in fury.

'What an insufficient and pathetic man. He actually thinks he killed us all.' Rioba wheezed in Nobl's mind.

This comment made Nobl laugh even harder and cough up even more blood. Before he could choke on the liquid he looked to Kelvian's angered eyes and said.

"You missed one." With that said he coughed once more and died.

With one last roar Rioba joined him with a toothy smile on his scaly face.

Kelvian took out his spear and turned to his dragon very unnerved about what the deceased man said.

'Don't fret about a fool's last words. We destroyed all the traitors. That is all that matters.' Kelvian's dragon told his rider who hopped on his saddle.

In one fluid motion, they were both in the air flying away from the clearing which would haunt his thoughts.

The forgotten egg laid dormant in what seemed to be a cold cavern next to an identical pool. For who knows how many years, but whoever comes across it and hatches the egg, would be the last hope of Alagaesia. Well, that's what Nobl and his dragon thought.


	2. Chapter 1

The dog on the landing didn't even stir as a small girl, about eleven, stampeded past her

It's finally summer vacation, the time of year that the student body adores the most. For your siblings it's the best thing ever made up besides ice cream. You just love it because of all the free time and rest you have.

Usually your parents would plan to have a family vacation somewhere during the summer. This year is very different since your mother and father decided to leave the three of you at your Grandparent's cabin while they have a romantic time in Las Vegas. Spring had been financially stressful. It's been two days now and everything seems to be going well.

A dog slept on the stair landing, easily ignoring the stampeding eleven-year-old girl that leapt over it. The canine yawned.

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"Come on, Erwin!" called a short blonde boy, who appeared to be ten, over his shoulder as he went down the stairs past the dog and into the kitchen, following the girl.

"All right, jeez, I'm coming," you growl from the top of the stairs, pulling on your other tennis shoe.

The dog lying at the bend in the stairs raises her head and looks at you and barks pleasantly.

"Not you, too," you say. You get down to the landing and whisper to the dog, "That's all I need, Torah, two monkeys and a dog on my back."

Then you head off into the kitchen, four sets of nails clicking behind you. Your younger brother and sister, Edmund and Elora, are already dropping bread into the toaster. In the fridge you find a pack of frozen waffles and set them on the table to thaw. Grandma is getting tap water for the coffee pot. Grandpa comes in through the front door empty-handed; there is no mail today. He approaches the table and sits in a chair by the window.

"There are three very early birds in the kitchen. The worms must be worth it, eh?" Grandpa observes, spying the clock by the fridge that reads '7:59'.

"Yeah," said Elora, "we're going into the woods today." She retrieves boysenberry jelly from the fridge and then taps the calendar she had lain on the table with a butter knife. In one of the Wednesday boxes she has scribbled 'bookstore'.

"That's exciting." comments Grandma. A bark sounds from under the table.

"I saw something on the way back from the store yesterday, so I want to check it out," You added.

"Is that why you're heading out?" asked Grandpa.

"She probably saw a book like always." Elora said, munching on her toast. You grin because she's right.

"We're running late," remarked Edmund out of the blue. The toast was done so he pulled it out, handing two slices to Elora, and replaced it with waffles, two for you and two for Grandpa.

"I know, Eddie, gosh." said Elora.

"Are you sure you'll be okay out there, just the three of you?" asked Grandpa.

"Yeah, we're sure," you assert matter-of-factly. "Besides, I have a fully-charged cell phone on me." Eddie and Elora nod fervently in agreement.

"She's got a library on her too," Edmund whispered to Elora. Elora giggled. She could see a corner of '_The Call of the Wild'_ poking out of your bag. You don't notice them.

"How far away was this place?" asks Grandma.

"Half way down the road," was Elora's answer. "Why?"

"I don't want you three going more than two miles from this house. That's plenty of roaming range and the road is included. Do you promise not to go further than Mrs. Ellisworth's house?"

You, your sister and brother look at each other. "Yes, we promise," says Edmund. Again, you don't notice when he grins mischievously at Elora.

"I promise," You say.

Elora swallows a bite of toast and says, "I promise."

Grandma and Grandpa nod, seemingly satisfied. There was relative silence except for coffee and cereal being poured. Soon you begin rummaging in the cupboards for some trail mix, stocking everyone's bags. There were ponchos and other stuff in there, too, because you liked to be prepared.

At 8:15 on a sunny morning, you and your siblings set forth down the path. The dirt road held several faint prints of people and animals everywhere. Edmond and Elora make it a point to try and attach an animal with each print, so you are mildly entertained until the bookstore's air conditioning breaths on you.

A smile spreads across your face as you make your way to the counter. Elora and Edmund walk towards the back of the store, probably to check out the comics in stock.

"Excuse me; do you have the newest book of 'The Mediator'?" you ask the man behind the counter.

He folds his newspaper and starts typing something in his computer. With a shake of his head he gets back to the article in the newspaper.

Your shoulders slouch and you make your way to your siblings.

"Come on you two, we can go back. My book isn't here." Your voice fills with disappointment.

They turned and to your surprise they were both reading something.

"Oh, can we stay here - we actually found something to read." Elora begs, looking up to you. Edmund, next to her, pulls his sad puppy dog face.

Your mood lifts considerably, seeing your siblings taking up an interest in reading. But you stop yourself and eye them suspiciously.

"What are you two up to?" you demand of them, lowering to their level.

They looked at each other confused.

"Come on Sis, we actually found a new edition of Superman. Can we stay just a bit longer?" Edmund whined.

You give in. "Fine, we can stay." You make your way to a table close by. "But if you need anything I'll be sitting over here."

They nod and return to their comic while you take out your 'The Call of the Wild' book.

With your nose in the book you don't notice your siblings looking at each other with a mischievous smile. Soon they replaced the comic and sneaked off to the front door of the store and bolted to the woods.

After ten minutes of walking they made it to their destination. The opening of the cave loomed over them in an intimidating way.

Edmund pulled on Elora's sleeve, stopping her from entering.

"Are you still sure this is safe, Elora? Grandpa told us everyone who entered never came out." Edmund gulped.

"Don't be a chicken. We can handle it," Elora told him. She yanked her sleeve out of his grip and walked into the cave.

Edmund shivered nervously, but followed her inside. A few minutes passed and they were still walking deeper into the cavern. The darkness steadily intensified.

"Maybe we should have asked Erwin to come with us." Edmund said, trying to get his sister and himself out of the cave.

"Get real, Eddie, she would never even let us get near this place. Besides, what are you scared of; there's nothing here." Elora told him, annoyed at how frightened he was.

"But-" Edmund was about to say something, but was interrupted by his sister.

"If you want to leave so bad, be my guest." Elora walked ahead of him. He stayed, put just staring at her.

She turned again.

"You heard me - leave already!" She shouted at him. Turning her back to him, she walked on.

"Elora look out!" Edmund gasped, but it was too late. Elora fell into a pile of mud face first.

Elora let out a screech of surprise and tried to stand, but the slippery substance made the effort like skating on ice. She fell on her butt.

"Edmund, help me!" Elora yelled out trying to find her brother.

Being careful not to slip, he guided his sister out of the pile and wiped her face with his shirt. Elora mumbled a thank you and continued on. Edmund reluctantly followed.

Elora looked around. There was nothing interesting at all. No gold, clothing or even skeletons. So what made this cave worth risking, anyway?

"How boring." Elora mumbled.

"Can we go back now?" Edmund asked, feeling paranoid.

"Fine, let's-," Something caught her attention. In the far corner of the cavern was something radiating a beautiful blue color. Her eyes filled with curiosity, she rounded the corner and found a pool of water with a huge looking rock near it.

Edmund held his breath in amazement. The pool was moving by itself, but there wasn't any fish in it or anything. Elora neared the pool staring into it with a daze. Her small hand was about to touch the surface when her brother called her.

"Elora, look at this rock!" an excited Edmund shouted.

The stone was a beautiful walnut color and smooth to the touch. It was a bit dirty here and there, but a good wash would do the trick.

"Let's wash it in this pool." Edmund suggested. He made to dunk the egg in, but Elora grabbed his arm and dragged him to the exit.

"We don't have time. By now Erwin would have realized that we were gone. We'll wash it when we get home." Elora told him, running to the exit with her brother on her heels, holding the stone.

They raced up the dirt road and soon reached the house. When Elora reached for the door, it swung open revealing you. You glare at them both, crossing your arms and tapping your foot.

"Where were you two?" You questioned your siblings.

They smiled up at you innocently.

"Around." They both answered. Well, it was true enough.

You raised an eyebrow and glared even more.

"If you were just going to go 'around', why didn't you tell me _where_ you two were _going_?" Realization struck then. "You were at that cave, weren't you?" You pointed at them accusingly.

"Please, Erwin don't tell Grandma or Grandpa!" Elora and Edmund begged hugging your waist. It seemed a little more awkward for Edmond because he seemed to be trying to conceal something.

"Both of you are lucky that I take pity easily. Just clean yourselves up and don't trek mud on the floor," You ordered pointing upstairs.

"Yes ma'am." They both said, racing to the bathroom. You rubbed your head thanking god that your Grandparents were at a friend's house.

Soft footsteps reached your ear and you turned. Edmund was coming back to you and before you knew it, he had put a huge brown stone in your arms.

"Erwin, can you clean it up, please?" Edmund asked with pleading eyes.

"Eddie you know papa and mom don't like it when you guys collect things. Last time you guys brought home seashells and those blasted things left a terrible odor in the house." You scowled at him.

"Please! It's just a rock. What harm can it do?" Edmund reasoned with you.

You gave up, too tired to argue.

"Fine, but the both of you owe me." You told him. He hugged you and raced up to the bathroom.

Your eyes stared at the murky stone with disgust.

'Ugh, my hands are getting all grimy,' you thought, shuddering at the dirty visual texture of the stone. You dropped the thing into the sink and started to wash it with some cold water and soap. Then you placed the stone on a paper towel on the kitchen table. When that was dry, you washed your hands with warm water and soap.

"Woof!"

You turned and smiled at Torah, who had probably just woken up from her nap. The canine nuzzled your bare leg and set herself down in a corner of the kitchen. With both the stone and your hands cleaned, you sat yourself in a chair staring at the shining object in front of you. You ran your hand over the smooth cold surface. For a moment you thought you felt movement from inside the object. It almost wobbled.

What a foolish thought.

Suddenly from the corner, Torah started to growl and bark. You turned to the dog, trying to calm her.

"What's wrong, girl?" You asked, petting her.

But she would stop barking. It seemed she was barking at the stone. You rolled your eyes and grabbed the stone placing it in front of Torah's face.

"You see, it's just a rock." You told the dog.

Torah sniffed it and backed away whimpering. You blinked at her reaction.

"Torah? Come on, stop, you're starting to freak me out here." Torah would not move.

"Torah…?"

Crack.

You froze.

'What was that?' You asked yourself and felt the stone move. Your stomach dropped several stories. You looked down and found a clean crack across its surface. Soon a hole formed on the top of the egg, making room for a scaly nose.

You trembled, looking at the brown nose. Suddenly, the thing popped and the hole got bigger, making room for a snake-like head. It adjusted its eyes and looked up at you, squeaking cutely. The rock – egg – almost dropped out of your hands.

Your eyes were the size of plates by now. With one swift movement you threw the stone containing the lizard thing in the air and screamed running upstairs. Torah was a bullet of fur behind you. You hammered on the bathroom door until Elora opened it and eyed you weirdly.

"Erwin…what happened?" Elora asked worriedly.

You walked up to her and started shaking her.

"You recreated Jurassic Park!" You yelled at her. You wanted to slap her and Edwin and then run away to safety in Mexico.

"What are you talking about?" Edmund questioned you.

"That stone you gave to me is a freaking egg!" You yelled at him.

Edmund and Elora's eyes widened with excitement. Elora looked, for a moment, like she could have broken into a dance number.

"Really!?" Edmund asked, all excited.

Elora stopped him from running out of the door and suddenly looked more suspicious.

"Yeah right, Erwin, nice joke - as if that rock could actually an egg." Your sister snorted, going down the stairs.

"Wait! Elora, it's dangerous!" You yelled running after your sister with the dog and Edmund behind you.

When you arrived at the kitchen your sister was in the middle inspecting it, but she only found the remains of the 'stone' shattered in pieces. It was like someone had shattered Mom's good china.

No one moved or said anything for a whole minute. It was silent but for Torah's low growls.

"Eddie," you whisper, "go get the broom from the garage." Luckily, he decided not to ask questions.

"Erwin, I can totally understand if you're trying to get back at us for ditching you. You made your point. Now stop it," said Elora.

"This isn't like that," you say under your breath, your eyes doing a panoramic scan of the kitchen. Eddie came back with the broom and gave it to you. "Nobody move."

Wielding it for self-defense, you scrunched low to see if the thing had gotten wedged in any places near the ground. Then you found it, its eyes shining from under a far chair, as you moved toward the table. At the table's edge, you got down on your knees and held the broom at the ready, bristles first. Slowly, you inched in the semi-dark toward whatever it was. It sat up and looked at you. Even in the feeble light, you could just make out four legs, a narrow head on a long neck, and a reptilian tail. You held your breath; this couldn't be normal.

Its chest expanded, its mouth opened, and you tensed, gripping the handle of the broom fiercely. In an instant you saw two separate things.

One was a set of tiny but definitely sharp teeth.

The other, far more terrifying, thing that you saw was a pair of flexing, stretching, scaly, imposing, bat-like wings.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" The scream exploded out of you with terrific force, as you pulled out from under the table. You came up too high, too fast, and stars erupted before your eyes as a searing pain gripped the back of your head.

Elora materialized beside you and pulled you out into the open, your head throbbing, tears fighting for release.

"What was it?" Elora insisted.

Slightly less dizzy now, you turned to her and Edmond and hissed viciously, "You completely stupid idiots, you brought home a dragon!!"

Their eyes went wide, and in a blink they were clambering to get under the table to see, but your hands flew and you caught them by their shirt tails and yanked them out.

"Are you nuts?!" you screech. With your siblings subdued, you go back under, catching their 'that's-not-fair' look. The dragon was curled up now, eyeing you. Trusting your reflexes, you scoot closer, clicking and whispering softly all the while, until you are nearly face to face with it. It sniffs at you. Mentally you are half cheering yourself on and kicking yourself as your arm extends, your fingers stretch, and –

Your fingers make contact. You look him – or her – in the eyes. Time freezes.


End file.
